Alone
by ThatWeirdOtaku21
Summary: Mai looks back on the events of Battle City. As she reflects on the events that took place, she realizes that perhaps she and Marik aren't so different. One Shot slight Illusionshipping. Sorry for the crappy title! Enjoy!


**A/N: I hit a writer's block for a while, but then all the sudden, this popped into my head! And I was all like "YES! Finally!" So now I present to you an Illusionshipping One Shot!**

**Illusionshipping really is one of the best couples ever. It's not my favorite but I absolutely adore it. Since there is so little fanfiction for this pairing I shall contribute!**

**This is probably one of the hardest couples to write. At least, it is for me because my forte is fluff, and Illusionshipping isn't a pairing you can write fluff for. It's a dark pairing. But, I've always wanted to write a one shot for it, so here I go! **

**Just so you know, Marik is the yami and Malik is the hikari, just so there isn't any confusion.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Never have, never will.**

**X**

The blond duelist allowed herself a quick glance over to the setting sun. It was quite a beautiful view, watching the bright sun dip below the horizon. Its brilliant colors of orange, gold, and purple were spread across the sky like a painting. But Mai Kujaku didn't let herself dwell on it for too long. If she strayed her eyes away for too long she could get into an accident. That was the last thing she needed right now. She returned her attention back onto the somewhat empty highway in front of her. It shocked her that the highway was so vacant, especially at this time of day. A few stray cars passed by occasionally, but other than that, nothing.

One question had been swimming around in her mind since she left Domino Pier: _Should I have left?_ She truly did not want to leave, however she knew that there was no way she could stay. She was a runner, meaning that she didn't really belong anywhere. She just went wherever the wind took her, or wherever she sensed an adventure. Especially an adventure that involved one of the things she was quite talented at: Duel Monsters. She loved playing Duel Monsters, it was the only thing that allowed her to escape her emotions and the stresses of the real world.

But there was something in her mind holding her back. Something that was urging her to turn around and run back to them. The feeling was foreign to her, nothing had ever made her feel this way before. It was a new feeling that she wasn't liking very much. She didn't _need_ anyone.

For some reason, she was starting to believe that was a lie.

Was it the fact that she finally had friends that made her regret leaving? Or was it the relationship she had with Jounouchi? Or was it both? She didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't turn back now. There was no way she was turning back.

Battle City. Now it all seemed like a blur to her. Well, thanks to _him,_ most of it had been a blur. She wasn't even conscious for a majority of the tournament. She had heard about Yuugi and the others' adventure into the Virtual World, and though they were lured into a trap, anything would have been better than sitting in that hourglass wasting away to nothing. She had missed so much because of that psychopathic freak. She was thankful, _very _thankful, that he was gone. She was worried for the longest time that Yuugi would not be strong enough to take him down. But he proved her wrong and freed her, Malik, and Ryou from the darkness.

Though Mai was never intimidated by another man, Marik had terrified her. She was almost ashamed of herself for being scared of him. But who wouldn't be scared of him? His hikari, Malik, unintentionally created him. He was born of Malik's rage, hatred, and grief. He was the image of all negative emotions wrapped up in a single being. He practically emanated darkness. He had an intimidating and dark presence. He enjoyed other people's pain and he would be glad to cause that pain himself.

She had been his second victim. The first was his father that he had murdered in cold blood. However she had been the first one to experience his shadow powers. She had been the first one to experience one of his torturous shadow games. She had been the first one to feed his shadow powers. The thought that she _helped_ him in a way sickened her.

Sitting in that glass prison was torture. A pure and utter nightmare. Though her physical body wasn't there, it was as if she could feel the light tickle of the sand as it slid off of her and added to the pile building underneath her. She was forced to watch as her friends all had fun without her, not even missing her or even noting that her presence was missing. She then just watched in horror as each of her friends vanished without a care in the world or a single trace. She didn't know how long she spent beating against the unbreakable glass and screaming out for help. Each time she screamed, she was met by either silence or Marik's taunting laughter.

"_Keep screaming, my dear."_ He'd told her. _"You're not going to escape."_

She'd looked up to find him staring down at her, arms folded over his chest, smirking at her. Her eyes held an intense glare as she beat on the glass once more in anger.

"_You won't get away with this! I'll escape-I know I will!" she'd shouted at him. He laughed, though it was a deep, smooth laugh that matched his suave voice. "Your strong belief in yourself amuses me. Do you honestly think you can escape the shadows? But go on, keep fighting, I want to see you fight. If you give up, there's no fun for me anymore." _And with that, he vanished, leaving Mai to her lonely and dark prison.

She felt herself begin to shiver at the unwanted memory. How she so badly wished she could forget what he did to her. But no, the images and flashbacks haunted her every day. They were burnt into her mind, permanently there to make her reminisce on the horror of it all. It was as if he knew that if she ever did escape, she would never be freed of the horrid memories. So he had already won.

She knew that it was partially her fault that she lost that duel. Her stubborn mind and overconfidence had been her downfall. Marik had taken advantage of that and used it against her. But it wasn't just that that caused her defeat. Marik somehow knew her darkest fears, and used that against her as well. He knew that there was nothing she feared more in the world than loneliness. She was frightened of being lonely, no matter how much she refused to show it. He had created illusions that made her believe that she was losing the only people she had ever trusted. The only people that she really called friends.

As she got deeper into her thoughts, she realized that Marik did have somewhat of a plausible excuse for being the way he was. No, not an excuse, but a reason. His hikari was abused as a child, and forbidden to wander the surface. He was forced to live his entire life underground for someone he didn't know. And of course, being Malik's yami, Marik carried the same hatred and pain as Malik did.

To feel nothing but hate, anger, and loneliness must be a terrible feeling. Mai couldn't imagine what it was like to feel like that every day of your life. She wondered if he was even affected by it any more. She doubted that it hurt him. By now he was far beyond feeling any pain. He was numb. He was immune to the pain of these emotions, and now the only thing that controlled his mind and heart was this dark evil that could not be removed.

Loneliness. He was the same as her, in that sense. They were both lonely, both of them preferring to be alone. They had their separate reasons for being this way, but they were both lonely. They both were quite confident in themselves, and relied only on themselves. They trusted and relied on no one. They both believed that the only person you can really trust is yourself.

Mai began to actually feel a bit of sympathy for him. If he weren't a complete psychopath she would have pitied him long before. She mourned for the fact that another person felt like she did, lonely and forgotten. Perhaps… if they had met under different circumstances… things could have been different. No Duel Monsters, no shadow magic, and if he didn't enjoy people's torment. If they would have met under circumstances like those, maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't be so alone.

Dismissing the thought before it developed into something else, Mai picked up her speed and cruised down the empty highway. ~

**A/N: Yeah, it's pretty short. But, oh well. **

**Oh! Due to inclement weather I have off school tomorrow, meaning I have tomorrow and the entire weekend to get a few one shots in and possibly the beginning of another multi-chapter story I had in mind. ;) **

**Hope you liked it! R & R please!**

**~TWO21**


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